


A Gift of Love

by Risuu



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Crushes, It's Gust's birthday!, Love Confessions, M/M, Mint is so gay for Gust honestly, Parties, Pining, Someone is probably going to get drunk, That someone is probably Albert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-08-09 18:52:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16455410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Risuu/pseuds/Risuu
Summary: When Gust's birthday finally comes around, Mint wonders if he should confess his feelings.





	1. Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> AKA "That one fic where Mint spends the entire first chapter trying to open a door and struggles with it because he's too gay for his own good, god bless him."
> 
> Unbeta'd fic, apologies for any mistakes and typos! This is my first fic on AO3 so I'm incredibly sorry if it's rough, especially with the formatting! I'll try to get better with each update! <3

With a bouquet of roses and a wrapped gift in hand, Mint stalled as he stood in front of the doors to the Round Table, fidgeting awkwardly, his heart rate elevated.

He had received the invitation two weeks ago, posted into his mailbox at the apartments, only a day before he departed Portia for a business trip back to his hometown of Vega 5. The envelope was a crisp, plain white colour, nothing that gave the engineer any indication of who may have sent it, that was until he turned it over and noticed the familiar handwriting of Mayor Gale on the front.

A mixture of intrigue and worry churned in his stomach as he flipped the envelope back over and prized it open with his fingers, wondering what the contents would reveal. The mayor had never sent him any mail prior to now, and Mint could only hope that he wouldn’t be met by some official announcement that requested his help with some large project, especially not right before he left for home again.

However, to his relief and genuine surprise, Mint pulled out a small piece of card, an invitation by the looks of things, each side decorated with an ornate golden trim, the handwriting of the mayor neatly detailing several bullet points of information that Mint’s eyes immediately locked onto.

Date, time, venue. It seemed like the mayor had anticipated both Mint’s departure and arrival to and from Vega 5, the invitation landing in his letterbox before he left and the date set for the event fell just a day after he would return to Portia. The venue itself was nothing special, as Gale had requested for Mint to meet him at the Round Table in the evening, for what he assumed would end up being another discussion on some new project over dinner.

Still, it perplexed the young engineer that the mayor would bother to send him an invite instead of just asking him directly as he’d always done, but he didn’t let it bother him for any longer than it needed to. That was until Mint started sliding the card back into its envelope, letting his eyes wander back up to the top of the invitation, absentmindedly glancing over the first few words.

_‘You are cordially invited to Gust’s birthday dinner on the 11th of this month.’_

Mint’s heart jumped in his chest.

* * *

 And there he stood in the present day, heart racing as it did when he read those first few words a few weeks ago, trying to control his breathing before he dared to open the doors to the restaurant.

To any other person, Mint’s hesitation would have certainly looked weird, and it most certainly _felt_ weird to the engineer too. The only feeling he could best liken it to was a bout of anxiety that hit before a first date, an uncomfortable knot in his stomach that twisted the more he worked himself up about it. He knew that this was just a birthday dinner party, nothing more than a small get together between Gust’s family and friends, and yet he couldn’t help but feel like he was about to walk into some one-on-one date with Gust.

...The roses in his hand probably weren’t helping.

Still, perhaps there was a part of Mint that secretly wished this _was_ a private date between the two of them, a secret, childish dream that he had never disclosed to anybody else before. Truth be told, Mint had never been in love growing up, had never had the chance to really develop even the smallest of crushes on any of his friends back in Vega 5. But with a different change of scenery, a new set of fresh faces, it wasn’t long into his engineering career in Portia that Mint found himself gradually falling for the local ice prince of the town, and his boss’ son no less.

Their friendship had been an uncertain one, a little confusing at times. Gust wasn’t best known for his social skills, often keeping to himself and his family, leaving Albert to deal with most of the liaising in the business whilst he quietly designed in the background. The same could easily have been said when Mint first started collaborating with the architect duo, as he was more or less always directed to Albert for discussions, hardly given a single moment to talk to the other.

Despite rarely having a chance to speak to Gust on the business side of things, Mint did make an effort to befriend him, albeit with some difficulty at first. He supposed that the other man’s reluctance to form a friendship with him was mostly due to his standoffish nature and the protective hold he had on his sister. But eventually, with enough pushing, Mint was able to get Gust to warm up to him.

Interaction became unavoidable on the days where Albert was either doing business on site or trying his luck wooing the women of Portia, leaving the engineer with Gust to discuss their plans. Mayor Gale had also invited Mint around to his home for on several occasions to exchange details on new projects over tea or dinner, the latter often meaning that he would be seated with Gust at the dinner table, open to talk.

As the months passed, the ice prince started to melt. Small, awkward smiles from Gust gradually turned into genuine ones, their interactions became less and less stiff, with the architect taking the initiative to delegate work and plans to Mint instead of letting Albert handle it.

And as he began to loosen up, Mint was especially lucky to hear Gust’s laugh every so often, a soft, gentle chuckle that went straight to his heart. Although it was a rare sound, it was nonetheless one of the sweetest things that Mint had ever heard in his life, honest, beautiful and nothing short of _captivating._ Those were words that he would quickly find himself using to describe the man in the days that followed, his fascination with this softer side of his friend suddenly blooming into something much more real and intense.

So there he was, the love-struck fool that he was after many months passed, flowers in his hand and a wrapped gift tucked under his arm, fingers hovering over the wooden door to the restaurant. He suspected that absolutely nothing would come of this, nothing that would push their relationship further at least. Even if Mint’s stomach was churning with butterflies like that of some giddy schoolgirl about to confess to her crush, he knew that he’d be getting his hopes up if he was wishing for something big to happen.

He highly doubted that Gust would even share a sliver of the feelings that he had for him, probably only seeing their relationship as nothing more than a professional friendship. That, in many ways, was somewhat comforting to the young engineer. _Of course_ he’d be nothing short of ecstatic if Gust suddenly got down on his knees and professed his undying love to him as soon as he stepped foot into the restaurant, but a thought like that was nothing but a far off and fleeting fantasy. Besides, he could never see Gust as the dramatic type.

Such dreams were best left hidden under covers until Mint could find some way of beating them down for good. For now, he just had to be the best friend he could possibly be, maintaining everything as platonic and professional as it had always been.There was no room for silly one sided feelings between the two of them after all, especially not in the workplace.  
  
With a sigh of resignation, Mint let his hand lay flat against the wooden door, finally gathering the courage to push it open. All pining aside, it was time for one hell of a birthday party.


	2. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mint enters the restaurant, gifts in hand and his feelings tucked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Again, sorry for any typos as this fic is heavily unbeta'd!
> 
> Also I'm so sorry if Gust is...horrifically OOC. I don't know what I'm doing if I have to be honest :^)

“Mint! What took you so long?!” 

 

The engineer immediately jumped as he stepped through the Round Table’s doorway. Across the restaurant, Albert had poked his head up from the booth where Gust’s party was sat, lifting a hand and urgently waving him over.

 

“We were beginning to think that you weren’t going to turn up!” Albert grinned, watching as Mint pushed the door closed behind him and made his way over to the table. “Come sit here, I saved a space for you, right opposite the birthday boy!”

 

He watched as Albert shuffled up the cushioned bench, eagerly patting the spot right next to him, but as Mint approached the table, he noticed a mass of golden hair emerge from the opposite side, an arm gripping at the side of the other bench as said man hoisted himself up to stand.

 

_ Gust. _

 

Mint found himself met with those wonderfully soft, green eyes locked onto his, a warm smile sent in his direction as his friend made his way towards him, welcoming him to the party.   
  
“You’re here.” Gust said simply, but the smile on his face didn’t falter. Advancing forwards, Mint was taken  _ very  _ aback when he felt the other man’s arms wrap around his body, a gentle embrace that only lasted for a few meager seconds, but enough to catch the engineer completely off guard. “I’m glad you could make it.”

 

“Oh, of course…” Mint trailed off as Gust’s arms pulled away, cringing internally as he realised that his surprise and full hands had stopped him from returning the hug, and that his tone almost seemed a little unenthusiastic. “Ahh, sorry! I didn’t mean to sound and come off so weird just now.”

 

Gust gave an amused hum in response, one hand sliding into the pocket of his pants as he backed up to the table again. “No worries, though I should apologise for surprising you there. I know I mostly...refrain from physical contact, but I gathered it would be a suitable gesture to share with everyone today. But please, come sit with us.”

 

Nodding, he followed Gust back to the dining booth, both men seating themselves opposite each other, Mint greeting Gale, Ginger and Russo as he settled himself down next to Albert, trying to shake off the feeling that the hug meant anything at all.

 

But any chance of losing himself to his thoughts was quickly lost when he caught Albert staring between him and the gifts he was holding with interest, his elbow gently prodding Mint in the side as he subtly motioned for the engineer to hand them over to their recipient.

 

“Ah!” Mint exclaimed, scrambling to pull the wrapped present from underneath his arm. “Sorry, I almost forgot to give you these. Happy Birthday, Gust!” He leaned forwards, presenting the bouquet and gift to the other man, letting him take them. “I hope these are to your tastes and all, the wrapped thing especially.”

 

Beside him, Albert laughed.

 

“Roses, Mint? How romantic! I was half expecting you to pull out a ring too!” 

 

That quip earned Albert a chuckle from around the table, but Mint could feel his cheeks begin to warm in embarrassment at the implication that Albert was teasing him about his crush, not that he actually knew, or so Mint hoped. That would be positively mortifying.

 

Noticing the flustered look on his face, Albert patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. “Oh relax! I’m just messing with you, but that  _ is _ a bit of a weird choice for flowers for a friend. I personally save my roses for the ladies!”

 

“Well I think it’s sweet.” Came the soft voice of Ginger from across the table. “Romantic connotations aside, they’re very pretty roses, and a lovely gift at that too, wouldn’t you say, Gust?”

 

In that brief embarrassing commotion, Mint hadn’t even realised that Gust had taken the gifts from his hands, and he hastily retracted them from where they were hanging in front of him.

 

“Of course, they’re very beautiful and thank you, Mint.” Gust smiled, examining the flowers intently before handing them down the table for Russo to set down at the other end. “Any gift from you is received warmly, but you do have me curious about this one. You hoped this would be to my tastes? This is rather heavy...”

 

Mint watched as Gust turned the present over, fingers feeling over the brown paper packaging as if he were trying to guess what was hidden underneath. He guessed that it wouldn’t take long for Gust to figure out what it was covered by the wrapping by its rectangular shape, but he might have been thrown off by the weight of it. All he could do was sit and watch as the other man began to tug at the string wrapped around his mystery gift, loosening and removing it before digging his fingers into the gaps where the corners of the wrapping had been stuck down.

 

As Gust carefully ripped the paper away, everyone around the table fell silent, clearly keen to see what was hidden underneath it. Mint merely waited with bated breath, silently praying that he was going to like the gift. Finding and obtaining had certainly not been an easy task, and he’d hate for Gust to turn his nose up at it after all his efforts. 

 

_ “Oh.” _

 

Mint gulped. 

 

Gust had pulled back the wrapping paper entirely, revealing what was under it. In his hand was a large, heavy book. The front and back covers were worn down, scratches and rips decorated it, the corners a little mangled from many years of age. 

 

Everyone peered closer for a better look at the book, Ginger leaning against her brother’s arm, Albert craning his neck forwards across the table.

 

“Mint, this is…” Gust started, his eyes widening as he stared down at the front cover, fingers gripping it tighter.   
  


Horrible? Disappointing? The worst gift he’d ever received? Said man held his breath in worry.   
  


“This is  _ incredible,  _ how on earth did you get your hands on this?!”

 

Now the entire party was  _ very  _ curious to see what the fuss was all about, and before Mint even had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, it was Mayor Gale who spoke up next.

 

“What is it then?” He asked his son. “Turn it around so we can all see!”

 

Gust’s eyes dragged up to meet his father’s for a split second, acknowledging his request. Slowly he lifted the book up to show everyone else what was on the front of it, and Mint swore he could see a sparkle in Gust’s eyes as he showed it off.

 

The front cover was black and white, similar to a newspaper print, but it was a large photograph in its entirety, a beautiful image that depicted a breathtaking view of sprawling metropolis that seemed to go on endlessly. Towering high rise buildings littered the landscape, big shiny windows decorating them from top to bottom. Below those, many other buildings sat, some looking older than others, but just as beautiful in their own special way. Across the top of the book, however, large black letters spelled out the title.   
  


_ ‘ _ _ A History of Architecture in the 20th and 21st Centuries.’ _

 

Everybody was awestruck.

 

“My god, Gust…” Albert breathed staring at the cover. “This must be rare,  _ ultra rare.  _ I’ve only saw a small handful of books like this in the university library back in Atara, and even then, books from before the Age of Darkness are hard to come by now.” He kept his eyes fixated on the book, just like everyone else, all taking in the rare glimpse of what life used to be like many centuries ago.

 

“The book is full of pictures just like that one.” Came Mint’s voice. He kept his own gaze on Gust’s, who’s wonder filled eyes looked at him with an indescribable sense of amazement. “There’s a lot of commentary too, talking about all the different styles of architecture back then, and the complex history behind them all. It really is...” 

 

“...Amazing…” Gust breathed, finishing the sentence. 

 

Mint blinked, staring onward as Gust continued to look on at him. He felt that warmth in his cheeks again as Gust’s eyes began to soften, his expression gentle, sincere and full of gratitude and warmth.

 

“You must have gone to hell and back for this, Mint. I couldn’t...I can’t possibly ever thank you enough.”

 

The warmth turned to burning, Mint’s face flushing a deep pink. He was thankful in that moment that Gust tore his gaze away from him to look back down at the book as he brought it back towards himself. He didn’t want the other man to see him vulnerable in those few seconds he had to compose himself. He had to push his feelings down and act normal, because he couldn’t give anything away. Not now, not yet.

 

“Haha, it wasn’t easy!” He laughed awkwardly, quickly shrugging off any of his resurfacing feelings for the architect. “I actually got the book in Vega 5 when I went back a couple of weeks ago, but I had to do a  _ lot _ of haggling with a historian who maintains a library of old world books.” 

 

“I don’t suppose he gave it up without a fight then?” Mint turned his head as Russo suddenly spoke. “Even books from the war that Gale and I fought in are sometimes considered precious antiques, especially in such small numbers.”

 

It definitely wasn’t easy. Any sane man or  _ historian _ for that matter would likely not be happy to give up such a coveted item unless they were offered a large sum of money for it. Mint went into the library knowing that it would be tough to convince the historian to let him purchase the book, but didn’t anticipate having to stick around for nearly an hour before the man eventually caved in and accepted the gols that Mint had promised him.

 

“It took...a while…” Mint replied, thinking back to the arduous and frustrating interaction. “It might have been one of it’s kind, so like you said, considered precious in a small number.”

 

“Well you did bloody well in getting it, mate!” Albert’s hand was on his shoulder again, giving him another firm pat, this time for a job well done. “I’m even jealous myself now. Think you could find something like this for me when my birthday rolls around?” 

 

Mint snorted in amusement at that, knowing that he didn’t quite fancy having to go through the same process all over again. Even though Albert was still a dear friend, everyone else paled in comparison to Gust. Nobody else affected him to a point where he was prepared to go to the ends of the earth to find them the perfect birthday gift. 

 

Gust was different, Gust was the person that made the young engineer feel things that he hadn’t ever felt before, strange yet incredible and indelible feelings that never surfaced for anybody else that he’d met in his life. But no matter how foreign these emotions where, they were certainly unmistakable. Mint had fallen for Gust and he had fallen  _ hard.  _ Even if he had to hide how he truly felt for now, or possibly even forever, his crush wasn’t something that he could even attempt to deny to himself.

 

Green eyes came back up to his own.   
  


“Thank you Mint, from the bottom of my heart. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for such a thoughtful and incredible gift.”

 

Had he been brave enough, Mint might have just let it all spill out there, right in front of everybody else, regardless of whether or not the architect would return his feelings in that very moment. That would be the perfect repayment, an accepted confession, their hands entwined, a stolen kiss when nobody was looking.   
  
But Mint was not brave, at least not with his feelings. He had to keep pushing these silly fantasies aside or risk putting their friendship and professional relationship in jeopardy. There was else nothing that he could do for now.   
  
“It was my pleasure, Gust.” He smiled, watching as the other man gathered up the torn wrapping paper and string with his book, handing it over to Russo to be placed carefully with the roses. “But please don’t worry about that, it was enough for me to make you happy with it.”

 

Beside her brother, Ginger gave Mint a knowing look, a soft expression that signaled her approval, happy to know that Gust had found such a wonderful and considerate friend in the other young man. Gale and Russo too, voiced their praise towards Mint, impressed with his dedication in finding the book for Gust and for being such a good friend. Albert, always the joker at the dinner table, entertained the idea that he’d lose his place as Gust’s best friend should he be given another run for his money like this. 

 

The table was filled with joyous chatter, the small party laughing amongst themselves in the tucked away booth, but Gust and Mint often kept glancing at each other, sharing nothing but contented smiles as the dinner party swung into action. It wasn’t until Ginger announced that she was starting to feel a little weak, that Gale called over Sonia to ask for some menus so that they could all order something to eat and drink. 

 

Yet even though Gale insisted that everyone could pick whatever they desired from the menu as the party was on him, Mint found himself struggling to pick under the watchful gaze of his dearest friend and beloved crush.

  
He felt like a teenager again, or at least felt like he was reliving the years he lost as an orphan in Vega 5, experiencing puppy love for the first time, hiding behind his menu in fear of showing his flustered expression.   
  
But this was only the start of the evening, and if Gust kept looking at him like that with such a serene and yet affectionate look on his face, then Mint wondered if he was going to be able to make it through the rest of the night at all.


	3. A Night Time Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party ends, but Gust appears to have an interesting proposal for Mint...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, it's been a while, I'm so sorry for keeping you all waiting! I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this fic as I began to write it, and needed some time to plan the following chapters out, but I ended up procrastinating for ages and ages until I finally got back to it recently :,^)
> 
> I promise that I will try to update quicker from now on! 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, but I apologize for my messiness and the disjointed nature of how I write things. I'm not very good at writing, but I enjoy trying nonetheless, so I suppose that's all that matters in the end. <3

At last, the night came to a close with sense of weariness that settled among the party. An excessive evening of chatting, eating and drinking had eventually lulled the table to a tired stop, everyone ready to finish up and head back towards home.

Ginger leaned back against the booth seat, her eyes closed in rest, only fluttering open in the intervals where the talking had become louder, or Albert’s drunken laughter broke the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

Albert himself, had come close to completely drinking himself under the table, downing numerous glasses of wine, ale and beer before falling back against his own seat in his tipsy stupor, giggling over jokes and stories exchanged between all the party-goers.

Gale and Russo, whilst not in the kind of state Albert was in, were also evidently growing a little tired as the night drew on. The family’s butler had repeatedly checked his watch multiple times through the dinner party, keen to make sure that Ginger would be back home in good time before it got too late.

The only two people who seemed more awake and sober than anybody else at the table were Mint and Gust. The two young men eventually resolved to quietly talking among themselves as Ginger napped and Albert chatted away to Gust’s father and butler.

The topics of conversation were admittedly a little mundane, idle chitchat about their work, new projects that Gust suspected his father would spring up on A&G in the next couple of months, anything that might concern Mint as much as himself.

Still, no matter how much the conversation concerned the boring details of their working lives, Mint couldn’t help but feel enthralled as Gust talked to him, face resting in his hand, head tilted with interest, taking note of every single movement and micro detail of the other as he spoke to him.

It was no secret that Gust was a handsome man. No matter how aloof he came across, how standoffish people would complain about him being, nobody could even attempt to deny the fact that he looked like a work of art, with beauty that many would wish of preserving in the form of a painting or a marble statue. He was truly as golden as his hair, shining brighter than anyone, or anything that the young engineer had ever seen in his life. Mint was truly and absolutely besotted with him, and yet that wasn’t solely for his physical attributes.

Even if those who sung praises of Gust’s beauty would complain about his personality, Mint always found himself drawn to it instead of being repelled. True, Gust often gave people the impression of rudeness and detachment, but having spent so much time with him through both their work and leisure environments, Mint found it impossible to ignore the good things about Gust’s personality. From his confidence to the loving and caring side he showed towards his sister, there wasn’t anything that Mint didn’t love about him. He was impossibly attractive in every sense of the word.

Still, as much as Mint adored him, he didn’t think for a single second that his affections may have been reciprocated in any way. Gust had the whole world at his fingertips, and as disinterested as he appeared to be with romantic relationships as it were, Mint knew that he already had his fair share of admirers in Portia, Atara and beyond. Men and women alike who wanted him as their own, fellow architects and designers held in high regard, much better matches for the young man, better than some plain engineer who only happened to work alongside him.

Staring onward with his lovestruck gaze, Mint watched as Gust trailed off from the current topic of conversation, collecting his gifts from the other side of the table and bundling them together. After brushing off his suit jacket of any stray crumbs from dinner, he picked the gifts up, standing slowly, signalling for the rest of the table to follow.

“It’s getting late, father.” He stated, motioning towards his younger sister who was gradually waking up among the sudden commotion. “But thank you all for coming and for hosting this, you truly made this a lovely birthday.”

“Of course, son!” Gale beamed, following everyone else out of the booth. “We all wanted to make this a special day for you, not just us as your family, but Albert and Mint too. Right, boys?”

Mint perked up at the sound of his name being spoken, glancing towards Gale and Albert as the gathered beside the table. Albert, still very drunk, gave a thumbs up, smiling happily as he slurred out a response, earning an amused tut from his coworker.

Feeling the blush creep back onto his cheeks again, Mint was quick on his feet to shut it down in an effort not to give himself away. “Ahh, yeah! I...I’m glad you’ve had a great day, Gust!”

“Well that settles it then!” Gale said, walking over to where Russo was helping a very tired Ginger to her feet. “It’s been a wonderful evening for all, but a tiring one at that too! Russo and I will take Ginger back home now, but how about you three boys head back too?” He pointed at Albert discreetly, lowering his voice so the drunk man wouldn’t overhear. “And...maybe just make sure that Albert gets into his house alright, hm?”

Sighing, Gust nodded at his father’s request, noting that he’d be back shortly after accompanying Albert home. An interesting end to the evening for sure, but Gust did know better than to leave his friend stumbling through the town in the darkness, even if it meant physically wrestling him into bed so he’d go to sleep, as he’d had to do many a time before.

With his gifts in hand, Gust stepped forward and began to herd Albert towards the restaurant’s front door, following his father, Russo and Ginger. Mint walked ahead, holding the door open as Gust gently pushed their friend outside, mumbling a few small words of encouragement as Albert managed to stop himself from completely falling flat on his face several times, giggling as he flailed around.

“Haha, thanks mate!” Albert grinned at Mint as he walked through the doorway. “He’s a great guy, isn’t he, Gust?”

“He opened the door for you so you didn’t walk straight into it.” Gust muttered.

“I know, I know, no need to be a smartarse!” Albert retorted, before sticking his tongue out at the taller man in a childlike manner. “I meant what I said though, he’s brilliant, you really are brilliant, Mint.”

A quiet laugh escaped Mint when he heard that. “Thank you for the kind words, Albert.”

“No need to thank me for stating the truth!” The contractor grinned. Then he shot a devilish, teasing smile back at the engineer. “And hey, if I wasn’t so into the ladies, perhaps you and I could’ve...y’know…”

“Albert…” Gust warned lowly.

“What? Sorry mate, are you jealous? Want to kiss our lovely little Minty-Mint over here or something?”

“Albert, stop being annoying and keep walking.” Gust hissed, pressing a hand flat against the other man’s back and nudging him forward again.. He groaned, looking over his shoulder and tossing Mint a remorseful and embarrassed look. “Sorry...about him. He’s just like this when he’s drunk, even worse around women.”

Mint gave Gust a sympathetic smile, expressed as calmly as he could muster. Again, he didn’t want to give himself away, but hearing Albert even mention the implication of Gust kissing him was almost enough to make him want to bury his face in his hands and screech in a mixture of excitement and embarrassment. It would be a dream, but a very far fetched kind of fantasy that the engineer would have to keep locked up in the depths of his mind.

Gust hadn’t given him much of a reason to suspect that their relationship could go anywhere beyond the realms of friendship, but Mint figured that he could be okay with that. He didn’t want to risk ruining what they already had by messing it all up with his feelings. If he could silently love and admire Gust in his own way, then perhaps that would be enough for him in the end.

Noticing that he had fallen slightly behind the other two men, Mint picked up his pace and power walked towards them. Luckily the distance from the Round Table to Albert’s home was very short, and they were fast approaching the front door, Gust keeping a hand on the drunken man’s shoulder to steady him and prevent him from veering off and falling over in the middle of the walkway.

“Could you grab the door again, Mint? Just...hang on,” Gust paused, stopping himself and crouching down to gently place his gifts on the floor. Coming back up, he reached his free hand down to one of Albert’s legs, sighing as he patted it down and then dug into one of the pockets in his pants. He rummaged for a couple of seconds, then lifted it back out again, his fingers clasped around a set of keys on a keyring. “Here, I think it’s the one with the red tag on it.”

Mint held out his hands as Gust tossed him the keys, catching them and then hastily picking out the right one. Stepping ahead of them once again, Mint walked up to the door and pressed the red tagged key into it’s keyhole. Sure enough, Gust was right in his assumption, and Mint unlocked the door, pushing and holding it open as Albert stumbled inside with his fellow architect following him closely.

“Thank you,” Gust smiled, taking back the keys as he walked through the doorway. “I’ll just be a minute or two if you don’t mind. I need to make sure that he actually gets into bed.” The smile turned into a half smirk as Gust mused on his friend’s unruly state, but the smile was not completely there, knowing that he faced the challenge of actually having to haul Albert onto the mattress once they were in.

Mint nodded, keeping the door open until Gust was inside. “Of course, I’ll just keep watch out here, but just shout if you need any help!”

He heard Gust give him another word of thanks before disappearing into the house with Albert half draped against him.

Letting the door close on it’s own, Mint settled back against the stone brickwork and waited for Gust to (hopefully) emerge out of the house victorious.

Some minutes passed as Mint remained there. The occasional thump and sound of talking could be heard from inside, but Gust didn’t make a move to call out to him for help. If Gust had the situation under control, then he had it under control. He didn’t really known how hard it would be to get a drunk Albert into his bed, but if the architect’s past experience was anything to go by, Mint reckoned that he would manage to do it somehow.

Sure enough, another 3 minutes went by, and then the front door clicked open again.

Mint snorted in amusement as soon as Gust stepped back outside, watching on as he grimaced and tried his best to straighten himself out. His hair was in disarray, his jacket creased and his shirt poking out from where it had been tucked into his pants. Two faint scratch marks lined one of his arms, probably from Albert stumbling about and grabbing onto him, or perhaps attacking him in defense. He didn’t look like a total mess, but it was a treat to see him far less prim and proper as he always was.

“And how is the brave soldier feeling after coming back home from war?” Mint laughed, kneeling down to pick up Gust’s book and flowers.

Gust chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes as he fixed his hair and tucked his shirt back in.

“Oh well, you know, I had my training, and this wasn’t the worst assault I’ve gone through.” He shook his head and smiled, glancing back towards the door. “But he’s out cold now, thank god.”

Taking the gifts from Mint’s outstretched hands, he tucked them under his arm again. Pacing forwards, he produced the key from the pocket in his pants, shutting and locking the door closed. After double checking the handle, Gust poked the keys through the mail slot in the door, letting them fall to the floor on the other side with a quiet clink.

“There.” He sighed, stepping back and turning around again. “He’ll find them in the morning if he’s not so hungover. Now how about we go and sit somewhere before it gets too late? There was something that I wanted to ask you about.”

“Ask me about?” Mint bounced back in intrigue. He desperately hoped that whatever Gust had on his mind, it wouldn’t be anything too personal or private. One misstep and Mint feared that he’d run the risk of bearing his heart to his friend, something that he really was not prepared for at all.

Gust, however, continued forwards and walked ahead of him, making no effort to respond to the engineer verbally. He just carried on, leaving a startled Mint to hastily chase after him in the wordless silence that followed.

They walked down through the residential areas and straight through the town and the main gates. Gust led Mint a few metres further until he decided that sitting not far from the town was probably the best course of action should anything wild jump out at them in the dark.

Dropping down to sit on a stretch of hill that looked over the Portia river, Gust motioned for Mint to follow him, patting the grass next to where he sat. He moved to place the bouquet of flowers next to him, idly tugging at the wrapping paper around the flowers as Mint crouched down to join him on the ground.

It was quiet between them for several moments, and Mint could only hear the soft crinkle of the bouquet paper between Gust’s fingers before the man fully set it down on the floor. Otherwise, it was silent, and only the stars above them could bear witness to whatever might happen next. Mint had no idea what his friend had in mind, the kind of question that was going to be asked.  
This felt oddly...private, but he didn’t want to jump to conclusions and assume anything by getting ahead of himself.

Beside him, Gust looked a little wistful, staring down at the bundle of bundle of brown paper and string that was settled on his lap, his hands holding onto either side. He breathed in, then tilted his head up on the exhale, his shoulders sagging as he sighed into the open air. It was a small, slight gesture, but it was enough to make Mint lean closer in the worry that something was wrong.

But as if he had almost sensed Mint’s concern, Gust shook his head, still staring out towards the riverside.

“Just thinking about the past, that’s all,” he chuckled, his tone airy and reassuring. “I guess your book sprung back the memories of my time in Atara again.”

He paused for a moment, focusing on on his words before he spoke them.

“You know, Atara was built on the ruins of a city called Paris...” Gust trailed, his fingers clenching a little tighter around the spine of his new book. “I had seen photos in the museum and around the my master’s studio whilst I studied there, but I sometimes wish I could have seen it for myself back then.”

He cast a glance towards Mint, his eyes soft, half lidded with his gaze nothing but tender. He seemed nostalgic, but he yearned for something he never had, an experience he never felt, never saw, never heard.

Paris. Pa-ris. The word rolled off Mint’s tongue with ease, like it was familiar sound that meant something to him too. He knew not of the world around him as he grew up in that orphanage at Vega 5, so little did he know of the ancient history that pulsed through the veins of the towns that the world’s population now resided in.

But Paris sounded right, it sounded like it was meant to be, a secret paradise of Gust’s that he wished to escape to as much as the other man desired it.

The architect kept his eyes on his friend, listened with intent as the word fluttered on Mint’s lips several more times, as if part of a repeated prayer.

“Did you know of it?” Gust spoke softly, interjecting with his question when Mint briefly fell silent again. “The history I mean, the culture and people and all that.” He cocked his to the side in wonder, fingers idly drumming along the side of the book as he waited for the other man’s response.

The engineer paused. He felt himself hesitant to admit that he didn’t know much about this place in the fear of sounding stupid to Gust, but he wouldn’t risk lying and making an even greater fool of himself should he be met with any questions on the topic. And he couldn’t lie to Gust, both on the basis of their strong connection and the fact that he would probably see right through him in a matter of seconds. He could take the embarrassment, but he sincerely hoped that Gust would not think of him as uneducated or unintelligent for lacking knowledge of the old world.

Mint fidgeted where he sat, awkwardly wringing out his hands and turning his head away as the words quietly pierced through the air between them.

“No...I, uh, I don’t, unfortunately.”

He winced as soon as he spoke, immediately expecting the architect’s expression to turn sour and judgmental from where he couldn’t see. Surely such a well educated man as Gust would find Mint’s level of intellect completely beneath him, would find him stupid and boring and not at all interesting in the slightest. He kept his gaze torn away from Gust, unwilling to look him in eyes and face the truth head on.

“I see,” Gust replied, but he didn’t elaborate for several more seconds, leaving Mint to wallow in his anxiety and misery for as long as he chose to to remain quiet.

“Uh, is that okay?” Mint questioned. He tightened his grip around the fingers in his other hand in some pitiful effort to expel the tension building up in his body. He wasn’t given much to work with, and if Gust’s ambiguous reply was anything to go by, he was now even more worried that he had offended his friend in some shape or form.

He dared himself to look at Gust in his peripheral vision, and then turned his head a little more, just enough to make out the expression on his face.

As he had expected, Gust was frowning, his brows knitted together in a mixture of confusion and something else that Mint couldn’t quite pin down. Whatever it was, it conveyed something similar to judgement, which was  _not_  what the engineer wanted to see at all. It was enough to make him want to shoot up from where he was sitting and make a total run for the hills.

Conversely, Gust’s tone was quizzical and gentle in his response.

“Okay? What do you mean okay? Of course it is, why wouldn’t it be?” The architect shifted where he sat, leaning in closer to the younger man to place a hand upon his shoulder. “Did I say something to upset you? I’m truly sorry if I did, but I meant no harm.”

Mint tried not to jump when he felt the physical contact between them again, desperately reeling himself back and letting the wave of relief crash over him instead.

Gust didn’t find him stupid for it after all? That was a huge weight off his shoulders for sure, now replaced with a much more grounding and comforting one by the hand of his crush. He found himself regretting even thinking that Gust would doubt his intelligence or see him as anything less than his friend, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to disappoint him, not with the way he made his heart race like crazy, now accelerated tenfold that they had established a physical connection again.

The engineer slumped, letting all of the tightening tension flood out of his body. He breathed out, trying to keep it as controlled and steady as possible, shaking his head and giving his friend a weary, relieved smile.

“Of course not,” Mint sighed, letting it roll into an awkward chuckle, one of his own hands coming up to push back his hair. “I should apologize, I’m sorry for acting weird, I guess I was just worried that you’d think I was stupid or something for knowing little about the old world.”

“Stupid?” Gust echoed. If he didn’t already look completely bewildered, Mint had only added to his confusion with the mention of that word. “I could never find you stupid, Mint, especially for not knowing about that. History isn’t as much as a focus for you as it is for me, and that is perfectly fine.”

His grip on Mint’s shoulders loosened to fall just below his shoulder blades, giving him a reassuring pat. “You don’t need to worry about having to prove yourself to me, you know. But if it’s any consolation, I do have an offer that might make you feel better.”

Perking up at the last addition, Mint moved to turn himself completely, his eyes widening in surprise.

“An offer?”

“Yes, one that I think you’ll like, or well, at least I hope you will.”

Before Mint could even open his mouth again to ask Gust what the offer actually was, the other man quickly dug into one of the pockets of his jacket. Upon removing his hand, he retrieved a small white envelope, his name written across it, in what Mint recognized as the same handwriting that was on his party invite.

Mayor Gale’s hand.

“Here, look inside,” Gust said, handing the envelope over. It was a little crumpled from where it had been stuffed into the jacket pocket, but it had already been opened, as could be told by the torn flap at the top.

Mint reached out his hand to take the envelope from Gust, lifting the flap and peering inside. It contained what looked to be two thin strips of paper and a sheet of card.

Gust looked on expectantly, but nodded when the engineer glanced up at him for approval, signifying that he was allowed to read what was in the envelope.

Grabbing the card first, Mint pulled it out to see what it said, and was amused to find the tone was just as formal as his own invitation had been, even as a token of goodwill from the mayor to his son on his birthday. His eyes scanned the card and read every word, just as Gust has intended him to.

_‘My dearest son,_

_I bring nothing but my warmest regards and wishes to you on this special occasion. To think that 24 years ago today, you came into this world as our first child! The years have gone by far too quickly, Gust, and I have full faith that your mother is looking down on you from the heavens with nothing but love and pride in her heart, the love and pride that we both shall always share for you._

_As I write this, I remember that I had struggled for many weeks in an attempt to find something to gift you for this day. I appreciate that you have never been much of a receiver as you are a giver, but it would bring me great distress if I couldn’t find something that I thought that you would enjoy. It took me a while, and perhaps this wasn’t the most imaginative or inspired gift out there, but I hope you will find it pleasing nonetheless._

_So I enclose two train tickets from Sandrock to Atara, one for you, and another for a companion of your choice. I corresponded with your old Master Verna recently, and she offered both you and a friend the chance to stay with her in the city for a week’s break. She did, however, make it clear that the time you spent there would be on leisure, and not on work, so keep that in mind before you hound her for study material, son!_

_Regardless, I hope that you find this to your liking, that you can finally travel to Atara for the purpose of a break, rather than work._

_I will be keen to know who you choose to bring with you too, so please let me know when you plan to leave and who you will take so that we can make the necessary arrangements._

_Once more, with my warmest love for you, I wish you the happiest birthday, Gust._

_From your father,_

_Gale’_

As he finished reading the card from father to son, Mint peered up at Gust.

As lovely and well written as it was, its contents, and the matter of the train tickets to Atara had the engineer curious. He had a feeling that Gust may have invited him to read it in order to ask if he would accompany him to Atara, and whilst the entire prospect of that was entirely thrilling, Mint didn’t think it would be his place to accept, not when he had people like Albert and Ginger by his side.

He glanced back down into the envelope, tilting it until he could make out the writing on the strips of paper, plain black text on blue and white, the words ‘Business Class - One Adult’ printed on the top of each one.

“I-”

“I want you to come with me, Mint,” Gust cut in. His gaze was strong and determined, but his smile was kind and sincere. “You would be the perfect choice for a travel companion.”

“Gust…” Mint tried again, sliding the card back into the envelope and handing it back towards the direction of the other man. “I don’t think I would be, you shouldn’t waste a ticket on me, just take Albert or Ginger instead. Besides, I just got back from Vega 5 and your father will need me for planning and assisting the builders here.” He gave Gust a sorry look, not wanting to disappoint him in the slightest, but he knew that he was already failing miserably at that if he was coming out with this.

Of course he wanted to go, more than anything right now, the next best thing to Gust proclaiming his love for him would be spending an opportunity like this together, the two of them all alone with an entire city under their fingertips. But he couldn’t possibly accept, he couldn’t do such a thing knowing how much it would mean to Ginger to be able to escape Portia for a short while and see more of the world for once in her life. Nor could he accept when he knew that Albert was the closest friend that Gust had, and the two of them would have a lot more fun together than they would if it was him who took his place.

He felt the envelope slip from between his fingers as Gust took it back and placed it back in his pocket.

_“You_ are my first choice,” Gust stated, eyeing the engineer as he straightened himself again and moved to stand up. “Ginger can’t come because of her condition, I wouldn’t want to take the risk, she needs to be near Dr Xu as long as she is still sick.”

“And Albert?” Mint asked weakly, knowing that Gust was not going to back down.

“Albert has been to Atara with me countless times for business, but he treated every trip like a vacation anyway,” Gust muttered. He rolled his eyes as he brushed himself free of grass with the hand that was not holding onto the book and flowers. “I don’t fancy going bar crawling with him again, not when he gets drunk out of his mind and hits on every single woman he comes across on nights out.”

Mint lifted himself off the grass to mirror his friend, coming up to stand with him eye to eye. Gust had made himself clear, but the engineer still wasn’t fully convinced. There was still the matter of his work, and with Mayor Gale constantly requesting his assistance in new projects with A&G, Mint was unsure if he would be allowed to take any more time out from work for now.

“Your father might mind though, I still have a job to attend to,” he tried again.

“You do, but I spoke with everyone before you arrived for dinner earlier,” Gust replied, turning around and slowly walking towards the gate. “Everyone knows that I want you to come with me, and they’re all okay with it. Albert will hold down the fort whilst we’re away, I trust him enough not to mess it up.”

Mint swallowed dryly as he watched Gust walk on ahead, but took a moment to rid himself of any grass and dirt before he followed and caught up. He had clearly lost the case, and Gust had emerged as the victor, but as long as nobody else had an issue with it, Mint figured that he might just be able to accept it.

“Are you sure that it's alright?” He sighed, exchanging one last anxious glance towards the architect before giving up completely.

“Positively.”

“Then...then if it’s all okay, I guess I’ll come.”

Gust stopped walking as soon as the words left Mint’s lips, pausing in the archway of the gate to Peach Plaza. His smile was nonchalant, but joyful nonetheless, and his eyes softened gratefully at the response that he received from the engineer.

“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” he replied. “I was hoping that you would.”

Merely humming in response, Mint nodded his head, trying to hold back the jitters that were resurfacing at the sight of that beautiful, soft expression on Gust’s face. In another attempt to hide any indication of his embarrassing feelings for his friend, he initiated their movement again, walking into the plaza, with the other man only a few steps behind.

As they reached the Happy Apartments, Mint fished out his keys from a pocket in his jeans and held it up to the front door. He paused. He was about to open it up and step through, but he stopped when he realized that Gust wasn’t making any move to head back to his own home. Was there something else that he was after? Mint wasn’t sure, but assumed that Gust was just waiting for him to head inside before they parted ways.

He twisted the lock and pushed the door open, slowing walking through the doorway, his fingers lingering on the handle as he stalled and waited for the other man to say goodbye.

Glancing over his shoulder, Mint was once again met with that gentle gaze of Gust’s. The architect looked as calm and cool as always, but there was an uncomfortable silence between them that remained. A silence that Mint felt he needed to break. Silence meant vulnerability, a choking awkwardness that he didn’t want to face in front of his friend.

“Uh, well, I hope you had a great night, Gust!” He breathed, his voice wavering into an awkward chuckle that broke through the quiet that had settled around them. “...And happy birthday too! I hope you uh, had-“ He stopped himself abruptly, realizing that he was tripping over his words and repeating himself. He flushed, then stumbled again, spluttering out a quick, disjointed apology to the other man.

Still, Gust’s expression didn’t change, save for the small, amused smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

As Mint hastily tried to regain his train of thought to make himself coherent again, he hardly noticed Gust advance towards him.

The hand that snuck up to cup his face was enough to make him squeak in shock, however.

Mint’s knees almost buckled. Gust’s hand was on his cheek. Gust’s _face_  was a mere 30 centimetres away from his own. This was close, far too close.

He was going to die, he was going drop dead right then and there. He shuddered, his breath shaky, his cheeks burning under his friend’s touch, his heart thumping at a million miles per hour.

Green eyes on brown, emerald colour that bore straight into Mint’s very soul. Colour that disappeared as Gust’s eyelids fluttered and closed. Disappeared when he leaned further forwards.

Mint stopped breathing.

The hand on his face dropped down to settle on his shoulder, and Mint became acutely aware of the ever warmer feeling on his cheek where Gust leaned in to kiss him.

Time stopped, and Mint froze in place, feeling nothing but the softness on Gust’s lips against his skin. Wispy strands of golden hair danced in the gentle wind that surrounded them, the scent of Gust’s cologne hit him harder than ever before.

In that very moment, nothing else mattered.

Everything was Gust, and nothing more.

Mint trembled, his hands shaking and twitching from where they were left hanging pathetically at his side. He didn’t know what to do with himself, nor could he muster any strength in his body to do something, _anything_ in response.

He felt so soft, so perfect, so incredible, and the engineer knew in a heartbeat that he would die a thousand deathless deaths just for those lips to be pressed against his own.

His hands rose, weak but determined. He wanted to anchor himself to Gust, give the other man an incentive to touch him more, kiss him more. He wanted everything that Gust could give him, he wanted Gust all over him. He wanted, He wanted...He wanted-

He didn’t want to feel the warmth leave his cheek.

Jolting, Mint snapped his hands back down again, his face burning crimson, even more so that he almost got caught trying to lay his hands on him. He exhaled sharply, slowly recoiling backwards as not to make it look like he was disgusted. He fumbled as discreetly as possible, shifting until he was just far back enough to catch Gust’s face as leaned upright again.

As no surprise to Mint, Gust’s countenance was entirely the same as it was before he leaned in to kiss his cheek. He wasn’t blushing, nor did he give any indication of embarrassment. He simply smiled again, as calm as ever, as if it was no big deal. His casual demeanor spoke all the words that his could have otherwise chosen to tell the engineer, but none that Mint would be able to wrap his head around. His heart was still racing from what had just transpired between them, body still shaking. Why did Gust look like that? Why… _How_  could he just kiss him like that and look completely neutral afterwards? It didn’t make sense. He knew that he was expecting it, that Gust was a man of very few emotional outbursts, but if he wasn’t affected by it, then why did he even kiss him in the first place?

He gulped nervously, his eyes darting and searching Gust’s face for an answer.

But his answer came not within the expression in his friend’s face, but the dulcet, calming tone of his voice when he opened his mouth to speak.

“Ah, please forgive me, I think I must have confused you.”

The way he spoke it sounded just as impartial as his face had looked. Nonchalant and soothing, but the hint of genuine apology was still there.

Mint’s brow furrowed, and his heartbeat began to slow. He felt a tug, a small dragging pull that was heading down into the depths of his chest. His head hung down with it, lowering so that he could no longer see the other man’s face.

...Confused? What did he mean by that?

Was it some kind of joke? Did it not mean anything to him? Had he figured out that he liked him as more than a friend and wanted to see if he could get a reaction? Mint jumped from concept to concept, the dread starting to settle and take root in his body. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want Gust to throw this all away like it was nothing, because it was _something_ to  _him._  Everything had played out like a fairytale dream, but was the architect about to tear it all into little pieces? Was he about to turn him down and shatter his heart right there and then?

“I should have told you before. It’s a greeting and parting tradition in Atara.”

Gust’s words cut through his thoughts like a knife through butter.

A tradition?

Mint tried to swallow down the disappointment that started to claw at him. He quickly tried to rationalize with himself, internally noting that at least it wasn’t some kind of trick on his emotions like he had feared. But for all of this to boil down to being a simple Ataran tradition? Mint couldn’t even deny that he was disheartened by it.

“Ah I see, that’s fine…” He murmured.

Stepping backwards, Mint grabbed the door again, holding onto it as he tried to push down the desperation that was knotting in his heart. He cracked a smile, as genuine as he could force it, an effort to make sure that he wouldn’t be questioned for looking so forlorn.

“Well, I’m glad you had such a great night,” He said, as plainly as possible. “And thank you for inviting me to Atara with you too. But uh, it’s getting late, right?”

His fingernails dug into the door when Gust’s opened his mouth, silently praying that he wasn’t about to be met with an inquiry of concern or worry.

Looking at Gust, he  _did_ look somewhat preoccupied with the tone that Mint used with him, but it was obvious that he wasn’t about to attempt chasing him up on it.

“No, no, you’re right, it is,” Gust replied. “I’ll let you sleep, please don’t let me keep you up any longer...”

He backed away from the apartment door, leaving Mint in his much needed breathing space.

“...But thank you, Mint. Thank you for everything, you really have helped to make this the happiest birthday of my life.”

The engineer hummed appreciatively, the spark or warmth igniting in his heart again. But it fell short, only dwindling for a mere couple of seconds before fading away again once more. He wouldn’t allow himself to feel it.

“Of course, I’m really happy to know that. I just hope the rest of your night goes just as well.” His fingers slackened around the door, but he pulled it closer towards him as a cue for Gust to take his leave.

The architect hesitated, but then nodded in acknowledgement, noticing Mint’s movement and suspecting that he was anxious to get to his bed. He was a little awkward on his feet, turning around whilst still looking at the dark haired man, flowers and present still held in his hand and tucked under his arm. His gaze lingered, before he spoke, his voice as honey sweet as ever.

“Then goodnight, Mint.”

The words on Mint’s lips echoed back to meet him halfway in the space between.

“Goodnight, Gust.”

And then, as quickly as everything in front of the door had happened, Gust stepped away and into the darkness of the night.

Now Mint all alone with a mess of thoughts and feelings, stepping into the apartment block with what felt like the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.

Shutting the door behind him, Mint fell back against it, his back hitting the wood with a loud thump. He was too caught up in his own mind to even register the sound, or that he could have just woken up half of the building’s residents. Instead he began to slide down it, face in his hands, hiding from nobody in particular.

Foolish.

He was completely and utterly foolish.

They were Atara bound, but Mint didn’t even know if he could face Gust after this. He was almost certain that Gust hadn’t even seen through him yet, as lucky as he had been, but even still, the engineer could hardly tell if his heart could take any more of it.

He wanted Gust so much, he wanted Gust to love him just as he did. He wanted, for once in his life, to be loved by someone held such strong feelings for. But would Gust ever love him? Would he? Could he? It all felt like a dream, or perhaps even a nightmare. The engineer didn’t know what to do anymore, or how he was supposed to survive an entire week alone with the man he loved, knowing that his feelings would never be reciprocated.

This was the reality that he was cursed to face, no matter how strong he felt for Gust.

This was how it was meant to be.

From where he had buried his face in his hands, Mint let out a strained sigh and collapsed against the door.


End file.
